Tuesday, February 16, 2016

Just about a year ago, I reviewed the South Main restaurant known then as Piro, and I was well-pleased with the pizza they were serving up. Since that review, the joint has changed names to Raduno, and gotten rid of a bone marrow appetizer that I thought was quite tasty. I guess Little Rock isn't ready for bone marrow.

But no sense lamenting what's lost I suppose, especially when what's there is so good—namely, a stellar lineup of sandwiches. I can recall folks telling me that I needed to get back into the place for their sandwiches, and although it took awhile to do so, I say to those people: you were so right.

First up, a meatball sandwich. Kind of hard to screw one of these up, but I've had some pretty bad ones over the years. This one was one of the best. Tender, moist meatballs loaded with flavor were piled with cheese and sauce on a baguette—it was bite after delicious bite. A fresh side salad with a peppery Gorgonzola dressing made a nice addition.

click to enlarge

Michael Roberts

Hero sandwich

The other sandwich we sampled was just as good. Meet the Hero: ham, pepperoni and soppressata with provolone, pepperoncinis and onion. Delicious. I could have used a little more kick from the soppressata or the peppers, but overall, this was a tasty pile of cold cuts and while I initially felt like $10.50 was a little pricey for a sammie, the quality of the meats used here (plus the quantity) made the price well worth paying.

Are the sandwiches here better than the pizza? It's a hard question to answer: both are excellent, so depending on your mood go for either. Everything is fresh and well-made—there's just nothing I've had at Raduno yet that isn't fantastic. Including that late, lamented bone marrow.

Arkansas Times Recommends is a series in which Times staff members (or whoever happens to be around at the time) highlight things we've been enjoying this week.

Arkansas Times Recommends is a series in which Times staff members (or whoever happens to be around at the time) highlight things we've been enjoying this week. In anticipation of Arkansas Times' Festival of Ideas this Saturday at the Arkansas Regional Innovation Hub, we recommend things that make us think.

New music from Isaac Alexander.

A packed episode this week of "No Small Talk": a chat with Katy Henriksen, from Of Note on KUAF; Stephanie Smittle breaks down the Spring Arts issue; and we finish up with just a tiny bit of Oscar chatter.